Royal Elegance: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Steal the Spotlight at Peter Phillips’ Wedding

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie made an appearance at the wedding of Peter Phillips in the picturesque Cotswolds today. Their attendance comes in the wake of recent discussions about their financial arrangements, particularly the revelation that they have not paid rent despite their lack of active royal duties.

The sisters, daughters of the former Duke Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, arrived at the event with cheerful expressions, unfazed by the National Audit Office’s report scrutinizing their family’s financial practices, which some have labeled as ‘outrageous.’

Princess Beatrice was spotted sitting in the passenger seat of a Range Rover shortly after noon, heading towards the venue. The venue, Gloucestershire’s All Saints Church, was bustling with guests gathering to witness the union of Peter Phillips, the King’s nephew, with Harriet Spering.

Beatrice, 37, donned an Alice band and a green and white dress adorned with leaf prints, perfectly suited for the celebration of Peter, 48, and his bride, an NHS professional aged 45. Weathering the gloomy skies, she walked arm in arm with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who held an umbrella to shield them from the drizzle.

Her sister Eugenie, who is expecting her third child this summer, opted for an elegant navy ensemble paired with matching shoes and a hat. She gracefully followed behind Beatrice, accompanied by her husband, James Brooksbank.

Her sister Eugenie, who is due to give birth to her third child this summer, could be seen dressed in all navy with matching shoes and a hat, walked behind them with her husband James Brooksbank. 

Meanwhile, their other cousin, Prince Harry, is expected to be a no-show at the wedding of Princess Anne’s son today, as he is said not to have spoken with his cousin ‘in years’.

And while sources have said the Waleses’ presence would have inevitably played a part, his strained relationship with Peter largely stems from an incident almost two decades ago.

The Duke of Sussex was said to be furious with Peter after his cousin’s first wedding to Canadian Autumn Kelly, which he attended with his then girlfriend Chelsy Davey, as Peter struck a deal with Hello! magazine without telling the family.

But the arrival of his cousins, the York sisters, has come amid another bombshell – this time in direct relation to their finances.

Yesterday, the cosy deals from which both royals – working and not working – benefited regarding residences were laid bare by a National Audit Office report.

It revealed the two princesses, who perform no royal duties, have been secretly subsidised for years, not only by their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, but now by their uncle King Charles III.

Sources said the arrangement for Beatrice and Eugenie was put in place during the late monarch’s reign, who was very fond of her granddaughters, and the King had agreed to honour it.

From 2008, both of the York sisters lived at St James’s Palace until Eugenie moved to Ivy Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2018.

Eugenie, 38, now divides her time between her £3.6 million Portuguese home and London, boasting a star-studded list of neighbours, including fashion designer Christian Louboutin as well as F1 racing drivers.

Meanwhile, her sister Beatrice, 37, stayed at her apartment, which she shares with her high-flying property developer husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi and their family, whilst also owning a multi-million pound home in the Cotswolds.

Both rents, the report reveals, are paid to the Royal Household entirely by Charles out of the Privy Purse, which is made up of his Duchy of Lancaster income and other private funds. No taxpayer money was involved.

However, the homes are situated in occupied royal palaces, which are maintained by public funding via the Sovereign Grant, which was effectively reimbursed by the monarch on their behalf.

And for a number of years, their adjusted rents – reduced because the Royal Household properties require tenants with security clearance – were based on out-of-date open market valuations, as were others.

Some of the properties were dramatically under market value, with the report finding that not even a self-imposed 60 per cent rule was always followed.

However, they were not the only royals to face scrutiny, with other revelations, such as their father being allowed to let three properties on his leased Windsor Estate to staff for a potential profit, being lambasted as ‘outrageous’.

Shamed Andrew may also be entitled to more than £300,000 in ‘compensation’ from the Crown Estate after he was booted out of the Royal Lodge after paying ‘peppercorn’ rent for over two decades before the end of his 75-year lease.

The 66-year-old was kicked out of the Grade-II listed mansion by his monarch brother after being stripped of his Prince title over his friendship with paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein, which emerged. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.

But his daughters were not the only royals to benefit from subsidised rent, as Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have long enjoyed a sovereign-subsidised arrangement at a luxurious apartment in Kensington Palace.

The NAO report, which was sparked amid revelations that Andrew was paying ‘peppercorn rent’ at the Royal Lodge, is factual but does not seek to examine value for money.

However, a number of questions are likely to be raised over its contents by MPs in the next few months.

Queen Camilla arrives for Peter Phillips wedding to Harriet Spering in Gloucestershire

Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, who has long been a critic of royal finances, said: ‘The whole thing is outrageous. If you look at Andrew, this is adding insult to injury. 

‘It shows an absolute total contempt for the taxpayer. The money should have gone to the Crown Estate, not into (his) pockets.’

He said of Beatrice and Eugenie: ‘There’s no way that non-working members of the Royal Family should be subsidised by the Duchy of Lancaster. The Royal Family is yet again taking the public for a complete ride.’

Amid the discovery, it was claimed the two sisters now ‘symbolise a rot at the heart’ of the Royal Family – alongside ‘their ‘greedy’ and ‘grifting’ parents.

Tina Brown, a friend of Princess Diana’s as well as a journalist, claimed Prince William had a dim perspective on his cousins, who she says ‘rejected’ his bid to have the activities of their firms audited.

This claim was also made by royal author Andrew Lownie.

Meanwhile, the former editor-in-chief of Tatler and Vanity Fair said the House of York has ‘come to symbolise a rot at the heart of the whole royal system, in which the monarchy’s “aura” allows its members absolute impunity’.

‘I am not in the camp that believes the two gushing York daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, should be welcome in the cleaned-up Royal ensemble,’ she said.

‘Floating around the UAE and Saudi Arabia as “cultural ambassadors” to the Middle East sounds horribly Fergie-like to me.

‘Most of the “convenings” they attend are hustle bazaars for nepo nightmares and crypto creeps hoovering around for the crumbs of sovereign wealth funds.’

In her Substack column Fresh Hell, before the NAO report dropped, she added: ”One wonders why they allegedly rejected Prince William’s request to audit their business activities to ensure there are no reputational risks.’

Taking aim at Fergie’s hunger for cash even after the Epstein scandal, she added: ‘Who in their right mind would hire a garrulous, freeloading shopaholic like Sarah Ferguson to be “brand ambassador” to grow their business.’

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘We are grateful to the National Audit Office for this report, which is in line with The Royal Household’s commitment to transparency.

‘We hope that the findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding royal properties.

‘As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the Royal Household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants and purpose.’

A spokesman for the Crown Estate said: ‘The Crown Estate welcomes the National Audit Office’s review which confirms its leases with members of the Royal Family were agreed in line with independent, professional advice and open market valuations.’